


Correcting Mistakes

by AnnaOnTheMoon



Series: Stargazer Era [15]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-06
Packaged: 2019-01-30 12:00:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12653148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaOnTheMoon/pseuds/AnnaOnTheMoon
Summary: Beverly made a mistake when she married Jack while she was still in love with Jean-Luc.





	Correcting Mistakes

**Author's Note:**

> This is reworked from a previous story and the second half added on. 
> 
> I speak German, not French, so I used Google to translate Jean-Luc’s French declaration of love. Apologies if it’s not correct.

Walker Keel put his arm around his protégé as he led her over to the bar.  “Come on Bev, I’d like to introduce you to my best friends.”  Beverly shook his arm off as they approached the bar and her eyes met the stormy hazel eyes of Jean-Luc Picard.  It was love at first sight for the pair.  For Jack Crusher, it was lust at first sight.  Especially after he saw Jean-Luc’s reaction to her.  He needed to win her away from him.

Beverly and Jean-Luc enjoyed a whirlwind romance, but Beverly knew Jean-Luc  couldn’t wait around on Earth while she finished her education.  The path to becoming a doctor in Starfleet was a long one, and with her plans to also complete the command course would easily keep her Earth-bound for the next six years.  So it was with a heavy heart that the two parted ways when Jean-Luc was offered the job on the _Stargazer_. They were still in love with each other, but both with their own career goals in mind and both felt that their careers were more important. 

Jean-Luc told Beverly to keep his apartment, and whenever he was offered shore leave on Earth, they could be found in bed together.  Neither particularly wanted to date anyone else, despite being broken up as they were still so much in love with each other. 

Beverly bumped into Jack Crusher by happenstance at the same bar they had all met at two and a half years prior.  Jack knew Jean-Luc had broken it off with the beautiful woman to return to space and decided this was his chance.  When he asked her out, she wasn’t even sure why she agreed.  She had been counting down the days until Jean-Luc was coming for a visit as her heart still belonged to him.  Jack caught her on a day when she was feeling a bit melancholy.  If truth be known, she hardly ever went out to bars anymore and had only gone with one mission in mind: drink until she stopped thinking about Jean-Luc.  So when Jack asked her out, she accepted.  And she really has no idea how she found herself getting engaged to Jack after only two months. Especially when she hadn’t even told Jean-Luc she had gone out on a date with Jack! 

The night before the wedding, the whole gang was together.   Walker decided Jack needed a stag night so the men and ladies went their separate ways for the evening.  Jean-Luc watched as Jack got drunker and drunker and watched as he cavorted with the scantily clad women in the strip club. His anger was rising as he watched Jack kiss and caress the women.  Finally, he had had enough and excused himself to return to his now-empty  apartment.  He missed coming home to Beverly, and mentally beat himself up for not committing  to her when he had the chance.

After toeing off his shoes and tossing both his suit jacket and tie across the room he headed towards his personal bar and poured himself a generous finger of whisky before collapsing on the sofa and allowing his tears to fall.  _Oh Beverly, why didn’t I offer to wait for you sooner?_

Jean-Luc was on his third...or was it fourth...glass when he heard a key in the lock and the door to his apartment squeaked open.  Assuming it was Walker he shouted out “Go away, Walker. I don’t want to hear it!”

A soft feminine voice spoke out in the darkness.  “It’s not Walker. Jean-Luc, it’s me.”  The woman came closer to the sofa and gently pried the glass out of his hand.  “Beverly,” he gasped as she gently straddled his lap and placed a light kiss on his lips.

“ Jean-Luc.” Tears were glistening in her eyes as she made short work of the buttons on his shirt. She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and began raining kisses on his chest, her hands stroking him lower and lower until she reached the waist of his trousers.  She unbuttoned the first button and dipped her hand inside the waistband of his boxers.

Jean-Luc threw his head back and groaned.  “Beverly...” His hands reached behind her and swiftly tugged down the zipper on her strapless dress.  The dress pooled at her waist immediately and exposed her creamy breasts. The only word on his lips was her name once again as he leaned forward and began kissing her neck, her collarbone, everywhere that was exposed.  He worked his way down to her breasts and took one pert nipple in his mouth and rolled the other between his fingers as his other hand continued to snake down her body until he encountered the dress fabric.  He moved his hands from her breasts to grab her around her hips as he stood with her and tugged her dress to the floor.

Beverly smiled as she stepped out of her dress and held out her hands to Jean-Luc.  He reached out for her and nearly tripped over his trousers before quickly kicking them off.  Hand-in-hand, she led him to his, no, **their** bedroom. 

“Is this what you want, _mon Coeur_ ,” he asked as she pushed him down on the bed. 

In response, Beverly tugged down his boxers and quickly divested herself of her panties. “Oh yes, Jean-Luc.  I want you.  Always you.”

Sunlight was streaming in through the bedroom window and Jean-Luc stirred awake.  His arms were around Beverly and her fiery hair was splayed across his chest.  Kissing the top of her head he gently spoke to her. “Beverly?  Darling, time to get up. You don’t want to be late for......” **_The wedding_**.  The words slammed into Jean-Luc’s consciousness as he sat bolt upright in bed dislodging Beverly. 

 _What have I done_?  He just slept with not only one of his best friends.....but the bride of his other best friend.  The best friend who he was expected to stand up next to as he got married.... _Merde_. 

By now, Beverly was panicking.  She hadn’t meant to sleep with her former lover the day before her wedding, but somehow she had walked herself over to his apartment and let herself in with the key she still had.  Tears appeared in the corner of her eyes as she looked over at Jean-Luc.  She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them as her body rocked back and forth in silent sobs.  Could she still marry Jack? Did she _want_ to marry Jack?  But she can’t walk out on him on the day of their wedding..... _could I?_

Jean-Luc pulled her close. “Shhh, my love. It will be alright. Do you still want to marry Jack?”

“Yes....No....I don’t know!  Oh god,” she sobbed into his chest. “I love you....and him.....I.....want.....I can’t.....him” every other word was unintelligible though her sobs.  Jean-Luc continued to sooth her and decided he would need to say good-bye to his lover once again.  He couldn’t allow her to walk out on the day of her wedding, even if he was deeply in love with her.  He glanced over at the top of his dresser and sighed into Beverly’s hair, glad she hadn’t noticed the small velvet box he had his brother send to him before he had found out about Beverly’s engagement to Jack.

###

Two weeks after the wedding, Jack received new orders from Starfleet.  He was to join his best friend aboard the _Stargazer_ as his first officer, and Beverly would be coming on board for an internship with their Chief Medical Officer. 

She didn’t mean to sleep with Jean-Luc again, but Jack was on duty and she was lonely.  She fluffed out her hair as she approached the captain’s quarters and struck the chime. 

“Come,” came the deep baritone she loved to hear.  Jean-Luc was lounging on a small settee, book in his hand and a glass of wine on the low table that stood between Beverly and her lover.  _No. Friend.  Not my lover.  Absolutely not._   “Can I get you a glass?”  Jean-Luc gestured towards the open bottle of wine on the table.  Beverly nodded and took a seat. 

When Jean-Luc returned, Beverly soon realised just how small the settee was.  His leg brushed against hers as he sat down and she sighed at the contact.  “Sorry.  Quarters for everyone are a bit cramped.”   Beverly smiled and took the proffered glass, her eyes roaming over Jean-Luc’s chest and legs.  Jean-Luc realised just how intimate of a situation he was in with his former lover.  He was clad only in a set of blue silk pyjamas.  He chuckled to himself as he realised Beverly had picked these pyjamas out for him last year.  “Excuse me.  I think I had better change.”

Beverly reached out her hand and caught his as he walked past.  “Don’t,” she said, bringing his hand towards her mouth and gently kissing his palm.

“Oh, Beverly.” 

Later, neither one would be able to recall who initiated what, but soon they had both discarded their clothing and Jean-Luc made love to Beverly right there on the too-small settee before picking her up and carrying her over to his bed where they both fell into a blissful sleep. 

Jean-Luc was guilt ridden, but he could not keep his hands off Beverly whilst she was aboard the _Stargazer_.  Likewise, Beverly found herself walking to Jean-Luc’s quarters on a near daily basis, or at least, whenever Jack was on duty and Jean-Luc was not. 

Two months had passed, and Beverly would need to make her way back to Earth soon to resume her studies at Starfleet Medical.  She reluctantly bid farewell to her husband and Jean-Luc, promising to keep in touch with Jean-Luc just as much as she would with Jack.

One month later, Beverly discovered she was pregnant. 

Jack was over the moon when he found out, passing out replicated cigars to what seemed like the entire population of the Stargazer.  Jean-Luc wanted to share in the joy with his best friends, but he only felt sorrow.  _Was the child mine_?

Jean-Luc scheduled the _Stargazer_ ’s refit right around Beverly’s due date to put him (and Jack, of course!) nearby so he, er...Jack, could be present for the birth of his first child. 

Jack breezed into Jean-Luc’s ready room a few days into their journey back to earth and laid a PADD on the desk.  “Look at this, Johnny boy!”

Jean-Luc picked up the PADD and gave it a quick glance.  “What’s so special about Starbase 54?”

“Not the base, Johnny!!  The name! Look who the commander is!”

Jean-Luc studied the PADD “Captain...Reynolds?  Should I know that name?” Jack sighed in frustration. “Captain.  Arnold. Reynolds.  **THE** Captain Reynolds.  You really have no idea how important this man is to stellar cartography, do you?”  Jean-Luc continued to give him a blank look. “No?” Jack rolled his eyes. “The point is, Jean-Luc, he is holding a seminar NEXT WEEK.  And I managed to secure a last minute place!  Since we’re on our way to the refit, I figured you could lend me a shuttle?”

 _Incredible.  Didn’t the man realise why we were returning to Earth?  His own wife....._ Jean-Luc shook his head incredulously at the man standing in front of him.  “What about Beverly? Your wife?  The one who is about to give birth to **your son**?!”  On the words “your son”, Jean-Luc’s voice raised about 2 octaves. 

“Ugh. Chill.  Women have babies all the time.  I’m sure we’ll have another. Besides, she’ll have you.  Walker.  Felisa.  What does she need me for?”

“Fine.  Go.”

“Hey, thanks  Johnny boy!”

###

Jean-Luc rushed Beverly to the hospital after her water broke and stayed by her side the entire time.  When the birth certificate was issued, it read “Wesley Robert Picard. Mother: Beverly Howard. Father: Jean-Luc Picard”. 

“Would Papa like to hold his little boy?” asked the nurse, holding out the newborn boy to Jean-Luc. 

“No. Er...I....ah....” Jean-Luc stammered. _Papa_? 

“Doctor Howard thought you might want to hold your son,” the nurse explained.

 _My...son?_ Jean-Luc audibly gasped.  _She hadn’t....Beverly didn’t....son?_   Thoughts jumbled through his head as he gazed down at the baby being offered to him.  He remembered the request for a DNA sample from Beverly, but he had assumed it was for an assignment, not to test paternity. Suddenly, all the blood rushed from his face.  What was he going to tell Jack?

Sensing his uneasiness, and assuming it was due to being nervous about holding a baby, the nurse gently guided Jean-Luc into a chair.  “Here we go, Sir.  You just sit here and I’ll place him into your arms,” the nurse juggled the baby into Jean-Luc’s outstretched arms. “There you go, Papa. Perfect.” 

Beverly was soon wheeled back into the room by an orderly wearing a fresh gown. “Ah, there’s Maman now.  Well, I’ll just leave you to it.”

Jean-Luc raised his eyebrows. “Maman?”  Beverly blushed. “Well....she knew you were French when I told her how to pronounce Robert.” Jean-Luc chuckled and leaned over to kiss her forehead.  “You are incredible.  But why didn’t you tell me...and what are you going to tell Jack?”  Wesley began to fuss in his father’s arms.  “I think he’s hungry. Here, I’ll take him,” Beverly said as she reached for Wesley.  She quickly undid the front buttons on her gown and guided the baby onto her breast.

Jean-Luc watched in awe.  “Beverly? Are you sure he’s mine?”  Beverly raised her head to look Jean-Luc in the eye.  Blue eyes meet hazel. “Positive.” Jean-Luc saw reflected in Beverly’s eyes all of the love she had for him.  He reached forward and grasped her free hand.  “ _Mon amour. Je vous aime de tout mon cœur, mon corps et mon âme. Je ne peux pas m'exprimer dans Standard_.” He kissed her hand.  “ _Vous m'avez fait l'homme le plus heureux de la planète. Non, galaxy. Mon amour pour vous est plus grand que cet univers. Je t'aime. J'adore notre fils. Je ne veux jamais que nous nous séparions_.” Beverly blushed.  She had started learning French, despite it being out of fashion to speak it, because she knew it was Jean-Luc’s mother  tongue.  She was not nearly as fluent as someone born in France, but she understood what he was saying.  She adjusted Wesley in her arms before leaning forward and capturing Jean-Luc’s lips in a tender kiss. “ _je t'aime aussi chéri_.”

Jean-Luc turned the spare bedroom into a nursery for young Wesley, and Beverly of course had moved into Jean-Luc’s bedroom.  They were blissfully happy, but they both knew they would soon need to speak about the elephant in the room.  What would they tell Jack?

###

Jack enjoyed himself at the two-week long seminar.  Walker had informed him of the birth of the baby, and also told him a curious story about the hospital thinking Jean-Luc was the father and accidentally giving the baby his name!  Jack laughed and assured Walker he would look into fixing it.  Surprisingly, it never occurred to Jack to wonder why Beverly hadn’t contacted him herself.

###

Jean-Luc checked the correspondence on his computer and sighed happily.  The refit to the Stargazer was going to take an additional 22 months so Starfleet offered him a position at the Academy while he waited for his ship.  Jean-Luc was ecstatic.  This meant he would be able to stay with Beverly and Wesley until just after Wesley’s second birthday.  Grinning, he sent his response back to headquarters accepting the temporary position, and inquired what was going to happen to the rest of his staff.  The response came back quickly that Starfleet was temporarily reassigning anyone who wasn’t involved in the intricacies of the refit.

Jack received his new orders and let out a whoop.  Captain Reynolds was so impressed with him that he personally requested Jack to become his first officer on a long-term deep space mission!  The mission would last for 10 years, and communication would largely be cut off from Starfleet.  Jack briefly considered what this would mean for Beverly and the baby, but he decided they would be fine on Earth. Besides which, Beverly still had 3 years of medical training.  He sent off a short note to Beverly that simply said “Been accepted for 10-year deep space mission with Captain Reynolds. Will be mostly incommunicado.”

Beverly was not as upset as she probably should have been when she received Jack’s message.  She quietly, and with the support of Jean-Luc, filed for a divorce on the grounds of abandonment.  She  happily signed the papers and they were transmitted from relay station to relay station, though no one knew how long it would take for the notice to reach Jack, and when he found out was the furthest thing on their minds.  Jean-Luc and Beverly were married in a quiet wedding at the chapel in La Barre where all Picards had been married, christened, and buried for generations.

When the _Stargazer_ was ready, Jean-Luc turned it down, citing that he wanted to remain at the Academy with his family.  Starfleet agreed, but told him he would remain in the active pool if an emergency popped up.  But as Captain Picard’s classes on command tactics were so popular they were more than happy to keep him on as an instructor. 

Wesley was just turning three when Beverly told Jean-Luc he would become a papa again.  This time, it was to a little girl they named Yvette Clair.  Wesley, unable to pronounce Yvette, skipped over it and called her Clair, and the name stuck.  Neither Beverly nor Jean-Luc had heard from Jack in the intervening years.  They didn’t even know if he had received the divorce notice.

Two more years went by, and Beverly and Jean-Luc were adding to their family once again.  Beverly had finally graduated with honours and took up a position at Starfleet Medical in Zurich and they bought a small house in La Barre, France.  Both Beverly and Jean-Luc wanted to go into space, but while Jean-Luc and Beverly continued to get separate offers, they would always turn them down to stay Earth bound with their family. 

Beverly was six months pregnant when Jean-Luc got the call.  The _Stargazer_ was once again without a captain, and they needed to send the ship on a rescue mission at the edge of the quadrant .   Having no choice, he reluctantly went aboard hoping beyond hope to return in time for the birth of their third child. 

***

“Sir. We’re receiving a distress signal from an unknown vessel.”

“Thank you, Ensign. On Screen.” Jean-Luc adjusted his tunic. “Unidentified vessel. This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation ship _USS Stargazer_ responding to a distress signal. We have come to offer assistance.”

The image was fuzzy, but there was no mistaking the voice that came over the comm. “Johnny boy?! Is that you?”

Jean-Luc scowled at the nickname, but he recognized the voice. “Jack!  What’s going on over there?”

The signal deteriorated. “Attacked.....life support failing....Captain.....dead....injuries”

“Ensign.  Can you lock onto all life forms aboard and beam them over?”

“Aye, Sir.”

“Make it So.  Jack, we’re going to beam you and the rest of the survivors over...” Suddenly, there was a loud bang and the screen went dark. 

“Ensign! Report.”

“No life signs detected.”

“ _Merde_. Did we get...anyone?”  Jean-Luc was afraid to mention Jack by name.  Even if he still wanted to punch the man for what he had done to Beverly, Jack was still his friend and he hoped he had survived. 

“Transporter Room reports we beamed three people over just in time.  They’re in Sickbay, Sir.”

“Then, that’s where I’ll be.  Number One, you  have the bridge.”

Jean-Luc cautiously walked into Sickbay.  Jack was still one of his best friends, even if he did think he had been an idiot about Beverly...and he was Beverly’s ex-husband...and he might still think he was married to Beverly or that Wesley was his son.  Not for the first time, Jean-Luc wished he had a Betazoid on board. 

“Doctor, how are they?”

“They’ll live for now.  That’s all I can really say right now.”  The doctor was humanoid, but she had three short legs instead of two, and scuttled around Sickbay like a crab.  Fortunately, she did not possess the pinchers of a crab, but she did have long antennae sticking up out of her head. 

“Do we know their identities?”

“No.”  Jean-Luc gestured towards the biobeds. “May I?”  The doctor nodded.

Jean-Luc didn’t recognize the first two people rescued, but laying there on the third bed was Jack Crusher.  He was badly burnt on half his face and on his entire left side of his body, but there was no mistaking Jack.  “Jack,”  Jean-Luc breathed out.

“Hello, Johnny,”  Jack managed before he began coughing.  One of the nurses brought him a glass of water and he tentatively sipped at it.  “I suppose I owe you my life...but I’d also like to punch you.”

“I...see.”  Clearly, Jack must have received notification of his divorce from Beverly, and someone must have told him about her marriage to Jean-Luc. 

“You know Johnny, I knew she was never really mine.  I suppose I always suspected she would run to your arms...but I need to know, Johnny.  When did it happen?”Jean-Luc looked down at his hands and offered no words. “I suspected as much.  And Wesley?  He’s yours, isn’t he?”  Jean-Luc nodded.  Jack sighed.  “Well, at least I know you’ll take better care of her than I ever would have. Are you still married?”

“Yes.  Almost five years now.  Beverly is pregnant with our third.”

“Three children? You old dog, you! I’d love to meet them, but I don’t think I’m getting off this ship alive.”  Jack violently coughed again.

“Don’t be silly, Jack. Of course you’ll be fine.” 

“Johnny...look at me.  My arm’s been burnt off,  half my chest is gone, I can’t even feel anything below my waist to tell you if I still have legs.  Face it, Johnny, I’m a dead man.”

“I don’t know what to say, Jack.  Our doctor is very good-“  Jack interrupted. “But she’s not Bev.”

“No, she’s not...but she’s still competent and I’m sure we can get you back to Earth to Starfleet Medical....”

“Where I can live my life out in a facility?  No thank you.” Jean-Luc shook his head at his old friend. “Jack, quit being defeatist.  You’ll get patched up, I know you will.”

“We’ll see.  Now, I’m sure the Captain has better things to do than sit here and talk to me all day.”

“I’ll be back later.”  Jack nodded as Jean-Luc turned and left Sickbay and headed for his Ready Room.  He needed to file his report with Starfleet, but first, he needed to talk to his wife and children. 

###

“It’s Papa!! Papa, Papa,  I miss you!!”

“I miss you too, Wes.  Are you being good for Maman?”

“Yes.....”  Five-year-old Wesley did not hide his guilt very well.

“Wesley Robert Picard, what did you do?”

“Nuthin...”  Wesley looked away from the monitor so his father wouldn’t see his face.

“Wesley....”

“I pulleded Clair’s hair an made her cry.”

“Why did you do that?”

“She took my spaceship.” Jean-Luc sighed.  Who knew it would be hard raising a five-year-old and a two-year-old...and they had another on the way? What were they thinking? 

“Wes...you need to share with your sister.  She’s little so you need to help her.”

“I’m sowwy, Papa.” 

“Did you apologise to Clair?”

“Nooooo.” 

“Go apologise to Clair and please tell your mother I’m here.”

“’kay Papa.  I love you!”

“Love you too, Wes.”  Wesley walked away from the console and Jeann-Luc was left staring at the interior of the kitchen in their modest house in La Barre, France. 

Beverly appeared, flustered. “Jean-Luc!  I didn’t hear the comm go off...I’m surprised Wesley knew how to answer.” Jean-Luc drank in the sight of his wife.  Now at seven months pregnant, she was beautiful.  Jean-Luc couldn’t wait to be back. 

“I have...news.” Beverly frowned. “That sounds ominous.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to sound bad.”  He smiled at his wife. “The good news is  I should be home in two weeks.”

“And the bad news?”  Beverly raised her eyebrows at her husband. 

“It’s not bad per se....it’s just...news.  The ship I had to rescue?  It was Jack’s.”  Beverly gasped.  “Is he...?”

“Badly injured.  He’s claiming he won’t survive, but I haven’t heard from the Doctor.”  Beverly gave Jean-Luc an apprehensive look.  “And does he know?”  Jean-Luc nodded.  “Was he mad?”

“I think he had expected it.  He did say he wanted to punch me though.”  Beverly laughed.  “And how are you doing, my love?  You look beautiful.”  Beverly grimaced. “My back hurts. Clair expects me to pick her up all the time and I just can’t.”

Jean-Luc frowned.  “I’m sorry I’m not there. Wesley told me he pulled Clair’s hair?”

“Oh, that was days ago.  I think he felt guilty because he made her cry. You know how much Wesley loves his little sister.”  Jean-Luc nodded.  From the day little Yvette Clair had been born, Wesley was besotted with his little sister.  He was glad they were close as he wasn’t with his own brother, and they even lived in the same small village.   Beverly took in her husband’s face.  He seemed to have lost some more hair, but she still loved him.  “I love you, Jean-Luc.”

“I love you too, Beverly.  I’ll be home soon. “

“Good. Don’t go yet, Clair wants to say hello.”  Beverly propped up the two-and-a-half year old on the chair.  “Papa! I loves you!”  Clair blew a wet kiss at the monitor.  Jean-Luc smiled.  “I love you too, Clair.  You take care of Maman for me, alright?  I’ll see you soon.”

“’Kay. Bye Papa!”

“Beverly, you truly are a goddess.”

“What? Two kids under six with one on the way plus working at Medical? Piece of cake!  But...don’t go away again.  These kids really need two parents.”

“Understood, my love.  I love you.  Picard out.”

###

The _Stargazer_ was halfway back to Earth when Jack Crusher died. 

Jean-Luc rested his head in his hands when he received the news from Sickbay.  _Oh Jack._ Jean-Luc knew he would have to tell his wife that her ex-husband had died, but with her so close to her due date with their son, he wanted to tell her in person.  Instead, he transmitted the standard Starfleet letter to Jack’s parents.  He would have put a personal message on the letter, but he wasn’t exactly popular with Mr and Mrs Crusher after he “stole” Beverly from Jack and “robbed them” of a grandchild  -  Mrs Crusher’s words.  In fact, Jean-Luc was fairly certain he wouldn’t be welcomed at Jack’s funeral, and made a note to ask Walker to accompany Beverly if she wanted to attend. 

###

“Papa’s home!”  Wesley and Clair came running towards Jean-Luc as he walked up the walkway to their house.  He caught first Wesley, and then Clair, hoisting one up in each arm and pretending they were heavier than they were.  Clair wrapped her little arms around Jean-Luc’s neck and he felt her soft breath tickle his cheek and he smiled.  “What are we going to do after the baby is here? I don’t have three arms....”  Wesley laughed. “Papa, I’ll be too big to carry then!”  Jean-Luc solemnly nodded at his son as he put him down so he could shift Clair in his arms.  “You’re almost six.  I suppose now you’ll want to start shaving?”  Wesley giggled again. “Paaaaaapaaaa.” 

“Weeesleeeeeeey.”

“Papa, you’re silly.” 

“He’s not wrong.”  Beverly came out the front door with one hand resting on her back to support her burgeoning belly.  Jean-Luc smiled when he saw his wife and leaned over to give her a quick kiss. “Hello, my love. I seem to have found these two urchins in the road.  Know who they belong to?”

“Hmm. Well, they can’t be _our_ children, as I told them it was bathtime ten minutes ago...”

“Oops! Sorry Maman!” Wesley ran into the house to wait for his parents in the bathroom.  “Papa, bath?”  asked Clair.  Jean-Luc kissed the top of her head as he lowered her to the ground.  “Of course I’ll give you your bath, my Clair de Lune.  Go to the bathroom with your brother. I’ll be in in a minute to turn on the water.”

“’kay.”

Jean-Luc took the opportunity to gather his wife into his arms and gave her a passionate kiss. “I missed you.”  Jean-Luc caressed her belly before bending down and kissing it.  “I missed you too, baby.” 

“Mm.  After you give the children a bath, I think your wife might like a bath...with you...”

“That can be arranged.  I’ll put the children to bed tonight, my love.  Go relax.”  Beverly gave Jean-Luc another kiss. “I knew there was a reason I kept you around.”

Bathtime turned out to be a spectacular event, as it had been over a month since Jean-Luc had bathed his children, and he had forgotten how much water they tended to spread around the room. His uniform was soaked and he tugged it off while he was drying off his children, leaving himself clad only in his boxers when he came back downstairs after putting them to bed.  He found Beverly on the sofa, drinking a cup of tea and watching the fireplace.  “No clothes?”

“The children...ah, soaked me pretty good.”  Beverly smiled.  “I have no complaints.” She indicated the tea pot and empty cup sitting on the table. “Tea?”  He nodded and she poured him a cup before turning in her spot to rest her feet on Jean-Luc’s lap.  “I missed you.  We all did.”  Jean-Luc placed his tea cup down on the table and grabbed Beverly’s foot, rubbing it.  She moaned. “Hmm. Did you miss me or my foot rubs?”

“Can’t have one without the other.” 

“Quite,” he said as he inched his fingers higher onto Beverly’s ankles.  “I missed you too. Beverly, I don’t want to take any more assignments if I can’t have you and the children with me.”

“Well, then I guess you’ll just have to make sure the next one needs a doctor, too.”

“Hmm.  They’re starting to build the Galaxy class ships.  They’re going to be built for families.  I can only hope I get offered to captain one...or you get offered a position. I’d gladly tag along with you.” Beverly laughed. “I doubt they would allow one of Starfleet’s finest Captains to just tag along on a ship. You’ll get one of them, I’m sure of it.”

“I hope so.” Jean-Luc rubbed Beverly’s calves through her leggings.  “Didn’t you want to take a bath with me?”

“I don’t think I can move. This baby is getting very heavy.”

“But you’re beautiful.  I’ll put the water on...meet me up there in ten minutes?”  Beverly nodded.  Jean-Luc moved her legs off his lap and stood, his desire for his wife suddenly becoming quite obvious.  He leaned down and gave her a kiss.  “See you in a few.”

Jean-Luc climbed the stairs and went into their bedroom. The master bath had a large tub (Wesley called it a swimming pool, but it wasn’t quite that big.) for two, and massaging jets.  Jean-Luc set the temperature to just warm enough as Beverly came into the bathroom, carrying two cups of tea in her hands. “Good thinking, my love.  Can I help you take off your clothes?”  Beverly grinned and passed him the cups for him to place on the edge of the tub. “Well, bending over is getting a bit hard....”  Jean-Luc reached for the waistband of Beverly’s leggings and slowly pulled them down  along with her knickers for her to step out of, then reached behind her Maternity tunic and unzipped it, tugging it off her head.  “Ugh. I really hate these tunics.  Still, better than trying to squeeze all this into a jumpsuit!”  She tugged off her bra and entered the tub and quickly sunk down into the water. “Mmm.  Perfect temperature.  Jets?”  Jean-Luc flicked the switch before joining her and pulling her towards him.

Jean-Luc kissed her neck and sucked on a particular sensitive spot.  “Have I told you how much I missed you?”

“Mm, maybe once or twice.” She tilted her head to give Jean-Luc better access.  “As much as I love this, can I get my back against one of those jets?”

“Wouldn’t you rather I massage your back?”

“Yes, but do you know how good these jets feel?”

“Point taken.”  Jean-Luc helped Beverly position herself against the jets.  “Ahh. Just for a few minutes, then we can turn them off.”  Jean-Luc settled next to her with his back pressed against another jet and let the warmth of the bath and the companionship of his wife wash over him.  He closed his eyes and was nearly asleep when he felt Beverly move against him. “Tired?” 

“Long day.  You?”

“I’m always tired.  It will be good to have you home again.  And soon, we’ll have this little one to join us and keep us awake all night.”

“I can’t wait.”

“I think I’m done in the bath. Let’s go to bed.”  Beverly stood up and she took Jean-Luc’s breath away.  He tugged her hips towards him and pressed a kiss against her stomach. “Have I told you how beautiful you are?”

“Yes, but keep it up!”  Jean-Luc stood up in the bath and made his way towards the towels. “Mm, you can keep that up, too...”

###

Later, when Beverly was lying in Jean-Luc’s arms, he decided to tell her about Jack.

“Beverly?”

“Hmm?”

“I have to tell you something...Jack...Jack died on our way back to Earth.  I’m sorry.”  Beverly began to cry and Jean-Luc tightened his grip on her. “It’s OK, my love. I understand. I’m here for you.” A tear slipped down Jean-Luc’s cheek.  He hadn’t let himself mourn for his friend, either.  Beverly sniffled. “I did love him.  Not as much as I love you, but I loved him.”  Jean-Luc smoothed her hair back from her face. “I know, my love.  I loved Jack too.  He was like a brother to me.”

“Will there be a funeral?”

“I imagine so.  I don’t think his parents would want me there, but if you want to go, Walker said he would go with you.”  Beverly turned to face Jean-Luc.

“If anything, his parents should be mad at me.  I cheated on him and divorced him, not you.”

“Well, they sent me a rather scathing letter after Wesley was born.  I ‘stole’ you and ‘robbed them of a grandchild’. “ Beverly saw red. “They said that?”  He nodded.  “I’m not sure if it would be wise for me to see either of them in that case.”

“Oh?”

“Well, you know how you know not to make your pregnant wife mad?”  Jean-Luc gulped.  He had learned that one the hard way when she had been pregnant with Clair.  “I wouldn’t want to say anything nasty at Jacks’ funeral.”

“I understand.  Walker will just have to represent us.”

“Jean-Luc?  Can we name the baby Jacques?” 

“For Jack?”  She nodded.  “I don’t have a problem with it.  I think that would be a nice way to remember him.  He was important to both of us, after all.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Understanding.”

###

Seven weeks later, Jacques François was born and their little family was complete. 

When Jac was six, Beverly passed her Commander exam. One year later, Jean-Luc was offered command of the _USS Enterprise_ and he was able to appoint Beverly as his CMO.  The Picard family would finally go into space together. 

**Author's Note:**

> I think this is done now. I keep going back to things I wrote a few months ago and editing them or adding to them...


End file.
